FA L L 2 0 1 6
Stocknotes
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
Bearden to Retire After 56 Years of Service
Dr. James Bearden
After serving as the second dean of the School of Business from 1968 until 1983, Dr. James Bearden has continued to make a difference at ECU for more than three decades. He went on to direct the BB&T Center for Leadership Development, making him the university’s most senior faculty member in years of service. Until several years ago, he led official academic processions for ECU and carried the university mace, one of three official symbols of East Carolina. It has been a fitting tribute for a man who has contributed so much.
At age 83, Bearden says it’s finally time to retire from his 56-year career at ECU – a career that has spanned seven chancellors. He will remain active on the BB&T Center for Leadership Development board of directors, but he says he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren who all reside in Greenville.
professor, an associate professor, a full professor, and then assistant dean for administration and development. Finally, just 10 years after arriving in Greenville, Bearden was tapped to become dean of the College of Business at age 35. He was on the ground floor of major change. “The early to mid 1960s were really among the most exciting years that this university has ever experienced, and the business program was such a central part of ECU’s transformation,” Bearden said.
Among Bearden’s long list of accomplishments is his spearheading the establishment and accreditation of the MBA degree. He completed numerous departmental modifications, including the addition of a B.S. degree in accounting and the formation of the Marketing and Decision Science departments. Bearden developed the Bureau of Business Research at ECU and also established the East Carolina Business Foundation, which supplemented the business school’s activities. Another important dimension of Bearden’s academic career has been the nation’s honor community. He established a Beta Gamma Sigma chapter at ECU and later would become that society’s national president. Bearden also was the founding president of Sigma Beta Delta, another honor society for business students at the nation’s smaller colleges and universities, which has
“What a blessing it has been to share my life with this institution,” Bearden said. “You just can’t fathom all the excitement of these years – there have been so many exciting ventures, administrators, faculty members, and students, and they have all combined to make my journey most enjoyable.” Originally from Marion, Ala., Bearden first came to Greenville in 1958. He had just completed a two-year tour of duty at Fort Bragg as an artillery officer, and his future wife encouraged him to look at East Carolina’s business program. He soon signed up to earn his masters degree. One class had an especially big impact: Executive Technique taught by Dr. Elmer Browning, the first dean of what is now the College of Business. Through that one-on-one relationship with the dean, Bearden came to understand Browning’s vision for the future ‒ a substantive shift in a business department that had been rooted in office administration. Bearden stayed on to teach as an instructor at East Carolina and became an assistant
The five deans who have served the College of Business since 1936: (Left to right) Dr. Stan Eakins, Dr. Rick Niswander, Dr. Ernest Uhr, Dr. James Bearden, and Dr. Elmer Browning (pictured in the portrait). continues on page 2
www.ecu.edu/business 1